Confirmation Hearings

[Anchor Lead]

Confirmation hearings for Prime Minister-nominee Lee Nak-yeon were held Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Nominee Kang Kyung-wha returned to Korea early Thursday arriving at Incheon International Airport.

[Pkg]

During his confirmation hearing, opposition lawmakers grilled prime minister nominee Lee Nak-yeon over suspicions of his wife once using a false home address.

[Soundbite] Rep. Lee Tae-kyu(People's Party) : "Did you actually reside in Nonhyeon-dong in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District? (No, we didn't.) Then it constitutes false resident registration? (That's correct.)"

Repeated inquiries and Lee's explanations also continued regarding allegations that his son dodged military service.

[Soundbite] Rep. Kim Kwang-soo(People's Party) : "You didn't submit medical records so we can't confirm whether the shoulder dislocation continued repeatedly since then."

[Soundbite] PM Nominee Lee Nak-yon : "My son was exempted from military service in 2002 and he continued treatment afterwards. The next year, a tumor was found in his pituitary gland which led to a life-risking brain surgery."

At Wednesday's hearing, the ruling party gave a nod of approval for the PM nominee while the opposition withheld its judgment. If there is no disagreement, rival parties will vote on the confirmation motion during a National Assembly plenary session scheduled next Monday or Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kang Kyung-wha, the foreign minister nominee tapped as the new administration's first top diplomat, returned to Korea early Thursday arriving at Incheon International Airport. She will prepare for her parliamentary confirmation hearing slated for around mid-June. The government will exert particular efforts on preparations for the hearing, as the new administration faces a deluge of diplomatic issues including the first Korea-U.S. summit.